How do you do shoulder raises?

To perform shoulder raises, typically referring to dumbbell side lateral raises, you hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise your arms out to the sides. Proper form is crucial for effectiveness and injury prevention.

Based on expert guidance like that found in instructional videos, here's how to do shoulder raises correctly, focusing on key form points:

Core Shoulder Raise Technique (Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise)

Shoulder raises primarily target the medial (side) head of the deltoid muscle. Follow these steps for effective execution:

1. Starting Position: Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Let the dumbbells hang at your sides, palms facing your body. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout the movement.
2. Engage Shoulders: Before lifting, stabilize your upper back and shoulders. As highlighted in the reference, you should be "keeping your shoulder blades pinched the whole time". This means retracting your shoulder blades slightly towards your spine, keeping them "nice and tight" and "pinched". This helps isolate the shoulder muscles and prevents the upper traps from taking over excessively. Avoid letting your shoulders round forward or slump.
3. The Raise: With your shoulder blades stable and back, slowly raise the dumbbells out to the sides. Keep your elbows slightly bent.
4. Wrist Position: You need to "keep your wrist" stable and in a relatively neutral position. Avoid flexing or extending the wrist significantly during the lift. Imagine pouring water out of a jug as you reach the top position, but maintain control.
5. Peak Contraction: Lift the weights until your arms are roughly parallel to the floor, forming a 'T' shape with your body. Avoid raising the weights much higher than shoulder level, as this can place strain on the shoulder joint.
6. Controlled Descent: Slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position, maintaining tension on the shoulders. Do not let the weights drop or use momentum.

Key Form Cues & Tips

• Control the Movement: Perform both the lifting and lowering phases slowly and with control.
• Avoid Momentum: Do not swing the weights. If you need to swing to lift, the weights are too heavy.
• Focus on the Muscle: Concentrate on feeling the contraction in the side of your shoulders.
• Breathing: Exhale as you lift the weights, and inhale as you lower them.
• Shoulder Blade Position: Remember the crucial point from the reference: "You're keeping your shoulder blades pinched the whole time." This helps maintain proper posture and isolate the target muscles.

Common Mistakes and Corrections

By focusing on maintaining stable, pinched shoulder blades and controlled movement, you can effectively perform shoulder raises to build strength and size in your side deltoids.